The Women's Institute brings to mind the “Golden Days” when the W.I. ladies demonstrated and taught home-made skills to dozens of interested women who turned up at their meetings in village and town halls all over the country.

There to learn exciting and new techniques, such as craft work, jam making, fruit preserving, cooking and other such useful and thought provoking ideas based on home life.

It gave tens of thousands of women a great opportunity to learn the fundamentals  ensuring how they could sustain their families during the hard times, during the War years, through the Great Depression, and right down to our day.

The W.I. - now named - The National Federation of Women's Institutes – N.F.W.I, has a staggering amount of ladies that daily and weekly contribute their knowledge, skills and abilities freely, this is the largest voluntary organization for British Ladies across the country, who's numbers have increased to over 205, 000 in England, Wales and in the islands.

It has come a very long way since it was first introduced in Stoney Creek, Canada, in 1897, from there it progressed to reach our shores in Wales in 1915...just as the “Great War” was in it's throes, from there it began to spread across the country.

Food in those days was not only extremely expensive, but the middle and lower class had to eke out a daily living with hardly any money to feed their families, also it was quite common that families had maybe 5, 8, 10 or more children to cater for, the times were very hard and practically impossible for hundreds of thousands of ordinary families all over the country.

But when the W.I. got firmly established during those early years, it brought a new opening and meaning for those desperate women to learn wonderful new ideas of how they could contribute to their families welfare and provide for them sustenance and covering, all learned from this such memorable organisation the...W.I.

It revolutionised family life in many fantastic ways, especially in the new ways of cooking and how ordinary people could grow their own food and feed their families.

After the W.I. Ladies arrived in Edenbridge in 1919, it began to swell in numbers and grew to a very successful amount of members as the years passed by.

When the “Second World War” began the W.I. were there, once again demonstrating their own devotion and desire to help and assist all those in need, of which it done so very commendably to their pleasure and honour.

The “Golden Day's” are still here for the W.I. as their numbers continue to grow at a phenomenal rate every year, they have branched out to cover a fantastic diversity of many subjects, and are without question the stalwart of British Society as being... The Greatest of All British Ladies Organisations.

Since the W.I. was established in Edenbridge in 1919, this year in 2009 marks it's 90^th anniversary which depicts it's early beginnings until the present day.

The Eden Valley Museum has a new exhibition to commemorate that occasion - now opened and runs until December 19^th.

Support your town Museum and visit this excellent exhibition.

Admission is Free and everyone is welcome.

The Museum is open on...Wednesday and Friday from 2 – 4.30pm.

Thursday and Saturday from 10am – 4.30pm.

For further information please phone...01732 868102
or log-on to their website www.evmt.org.uk